Page 28 - Delcampe Collections classiques EN-004

Stamps

Everyday heroes
However, Maurice Boule’s book and
the exhibition dedicated to Napoleon
do not only provide a military history
of the French emperor. The book also
presents a number of testimonies
of the daily life of soldiers and other
members of the Napoleonic armies.
You will thus be able to discover that
from the soldier to the canteen wor-
ker, the illustrated letters are well re-
presented in the collection.

I will give you a few examples:
On page 79, this very beautiful letter
described as follows:
Family letter thought to have been
sent by a cantiniere and written in
Boulogne on 27 December 1811, with
a reproduction of the Collar of the
Legion of Honour, which was reser-
ved for the emperor, his brothers and
a few very high dignitaries. It consists
of sixteen small medallions numbe-
red 1 - 16 in roman numerals, which
symbolise the sixteen cohorts of the
Legion of Honour eparated by the
same number of eagles. In the centre,
the imperial eagle clasping a thunder-
bolt topped with a crowned helmet, all
of which rests on an ermine mantle.
(Michel Poultier collection)

On page 151, Maurice Boule pre-
sents a soldier’s letter.
Paris, 9 March 1813 Letter from
Nicolas Soiron, a rifleman-grenadier
of the Imperial Guard in the 1st re-
giment, 2nd battalion, 4th company,
stationed in Paris.
The regiment, created by the decree
of 19 September 1809, comprised
1,600 men. He was subsequently
assimilated into the Middle Guard.
(Philatelic collection of H.S.H. Albert II
of Monaco)

28 Delcampe Magazine